The Other Tyler - Book 2

Wakey Wakey

The Sycorax cheered as she was dragged along with Rose and Mickey to a group of humans, two of the three, she and Rose recognised.

"Harriet? Indra?" Rose asked as she was shoved forward.

"Rose. Mei. I've got you," The Prime minister caught both girls to steady them, Indra and the other man steadying Mickey. "My Lord. Oh, my precious things. The Doctor, is he with you?"

"He'll be here," Mei assured her, "Just need to stall for time."

The Sycorax stepped forward, speaking and while it translated for Mei, it caused the needle-stabbing pain to return. One hand gripped tightly to her sister's forearm, the other flying to her head. Luckily, she didn't need to tell the group what the alien said, the man she didn't know was reading the translation off a tablet.

"The yellow girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet."

"What?" Rose asked the translator in horror, "No, no I don't!"

The Sycorax spoke again, more pain for Mei and the translator reading off the tablet, "She will speak, or you will die."

"But she can't!" Harriet exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah she can," Mei spoke up, letting go of Rose's arm, "Just – just buy some time. Say anything, but buy us time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rose tried to grin, her worry for Mei shining through. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, "Right then, be the Doctor," she muttered, "I can do this." She took another deep breath, "Right then, I address the Sycorax according to . . . Article Fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation on er, behalf of . . . the Time Lord Council! I command you to leave this world with all the authority of the Slitheen Parliament of Raxacoricofallapatorius, and er, the Gelth Confederacy as er, sanctioned by the Mighty Jagrafess and, oh, the Daleks and their Emperor! Now, leave this planet in peace! In peace."

Mei blinked, her eyes watering, "Not what I was going for but okay, that works."

"Sorry," Rose bit her lip, scurrying back to her sister as the Sycorax all burst into laughter.

"You did good," Mei smiled, "It bought some time, I like how you dragged it all out."

"I bought like two minutes," Rose huffed.

The lead Sycorax spoke again, Mei cringing at the pain, the translator following a few seconds behind him, "You are very, very funny. And now you're going to die."

"No!" Mei's eyes widening, stepping forwards as she pulled Rose behind her, "You won't touch my sister. Try it and see what happens!"

The Sycorax tilted its weirdly shaped head, "You speak our language," it growled, Mei winced and the Translator speaking for the others, "But you are still nothing to us! Did you think you were clever with your stolen words? We are the Sycorax, we stride in the darkness. Next to us you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion, then your world will be gutted, and your people enslaved!"

"Hold on, that's English," the Translator stated, looking confused.

Mei glanced at Rose for confirmation, the blonde nodded, grinning. The brunette turned back to the Sycorax with a smirk, ignoring the fact that her skull felt like it was going to explode, "Oh, would you look at that. Your language is being translated, which means nothing good for you. Just one thing, Mr Sycorax Leader, she is NOT this world's champion." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder as she heard the Tardis trill in her mind. "He is."

The Doctor leaned against the Tardis with a grin, hands in his pockets, and his eyes focused solely on Mei, "Did you miss me?"

"So much," Mei admitted, her shoulders slumping as she allowed Rose to pull her back.

The Sycorax leader roared, his whip cracking through the air but the Doctor easily caught it and tugged it from his hand.

"You could have someone's eye out with that."

"How dare!" the Sycorax growled.

Mei cringed, expecting the pain but it had retreated to a simple burning behind her eyes again. Because the Doctor was awake, she realised, him being awake and healthy meant she no longer relied on the connection to the Tardis and her soul. At least, she hoped that was the reason.

Another Sycorax – this one armed with a thick wooden club, charged at the Doctor with a roar. The Time Lord simply yanked it away from the alien and snapped it across his knee, all the while still grinning.

"You just can't get the staff. Now, you, just wait," he pointed at the leader, "I'm busy." Turning to the group of humans, he beamed at them, "Hello Rosie Posie."

"Doctor," she sighed in relief, throwing herself at him for a hug. She then pulled back and punched him on the arm, "Don't do that again!"

"Alright, alright," he pouted, rubbing his sore bit and glancing at Mei, "Your sister is so mean." Mei just grinned, but Rose wasn't finished with him.

"I'm serious Doctor, Mei's been in so much pain, she can't think back on the Game Station, she can't translate for us, not without her head feeling like it's going to explode. If you EVER and I mean EVER do that again, I'm gonna kill you! See how you regenerate when you're in a thousand pieces!"

"Okay," he cringed, leaning back from the angry blonde, "Okay I'm sorry." He looked to Mei, "I really am. I don't know why it's happening."

"We can talk about it later," Mei offered, gesturing to the group of humans watching them. He nodded, turning to them as well.

"Mickey, hello! And Indra Ganesh and Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life. You, I don't know, though," the Doctor admitted, pointing at the Translator.

"Alex," the man mumbled, still in shock.

"Alex, nice name," the Doctor nodded, then spun around to look at Mei, "Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses. Now, first thing's first. Be honest, how do I look?"

Mei grabbed him by the collar of his dressing gown and pulled him into a kiss, "Awake and healthy," she breathed out after, "So I'm happy."

"Well," he squeaked, cheeks flushing pink, "That's – That's good. But not what I meant."

Rose giggled, "You look different. No big ears or nose this time, you've got big hair instead."

The Doctor patted his hair to check, then fixed Mei with a serious expression, "Am I ginger?"

"Sorry love, brunette," she told him.

He stomped his foot and whined like a child, "I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger. And you, Mickey Smith, fat lot of good you were. You gave up on me. Oh, that's rude. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude. Rude and not ginger."

"Catchy," Mei grinned.

"I'm sorry. Who is this?" Harriet asked, looking confused.

The Doctor spun to face her, grinning like a lunatic, "I'm the Doctor."

Harriet glanced at the two Tylers, but even when they nodded in agreement, she didn't believe them. "But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?"

"He's him," Mei said, looping one of her arm's through Rose's, "Remember Harriet, he IS Alien. He just happens to be an alien who can change his face."

"Really?" She asked, still sceptical.